Eisenkot’s party accuses Netanyahu allies of incitement after protest outside his home

Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party accused allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of incitement on Monday, November 2, after a demonstration outside the former military chief’s home included accusations that he was responsible for his son’s death. The party later said it had submitted a formal complaint to the Israel Police over alleged murder threats against Eisenkot and his wife.

About two dozen people attended the protest on Sunday night. Footage showed a man using a megaphone to repeatedly accuse Eisenkot of murdering his son and leading chants calling him a traitor. The man also directed insults and a threat at Eisenkot’s wife, Hannah, telling her she would be next to her son. Hebrew media identified the protester as Yossi Cohen, a bereaved father.

Eisenkot’s son, Master Sgt. (res.) Gal Eisenkot, died in combat in Gaza in December 2023, following the Hamas-led assault of October 7 that year. Eisenkot was then serving on the security cabinet. Two of his nephews, Cpt. Yogev Pazy, 22, and Sgt. Maor Cohen Eisenkot, 19, were also killed during the war.

Yashar blamed political leaders whom it accused of abandoning all limits in their effort to remain in power. The party linked the conduct to Netanyahu’s office, urged the government’s replacement as soon as possible and said it no longer expected a condemnation. Netanyahu’s Likud party did not comment on the demonstration, and nobody in the prime minister’s circle condemned the slogans directed at Eisenkot.

Channel 12 reported that the protest lasted several hours and ended at approximately 9 p.m., with no arrests. Afterward, an unidentified woman entered Eisenkot’s apartment building and spent several minutes looking for his unit before neighbors noticed her and removed her, according to the report. Eisenkot was away, while Hannah was home. The woman’s motive remained unclear, and the incident was being investigated.

The confrontation followed the October 27 election, which left neither side with a governing majority. Parties opposed to Netanyahu were exploring how to establish a government, and several party leaders supported giving Eisenkot the first opportunity to assemble a coalition.

Opposition parties will together occupy 67 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, but that total is divided between Jewish-led parties with 48 seats and Arab-led parties with 19. Netanyahu’s outgoing coalition will have 53 seats.

In a separate incident shortly before the election, a sign supporting Naftali Bennett’s B’Yachad party was burned outside a home in Tel Aviv’s southern Shapira neighborhood, according to resident Assaf Kazakov. Video showed large flames around the sign. Kazakov told Channel 12 that a persistent noise late at night prompted him to investigate, leading him to discover the fire.

Police told Channel 12 they had opened an investigation into suspected arson but offered no further details. Kazakov said he was fortunate to have been awake and that no young children or elderly people were in the house who might have been harmed by the heavy smoke. In a Facebook post last week, he said he had displayed the sign hoping to encourage discussion and expressed hope that nearby cameras would help police identify those responsible.